Gentle action agitator



March a, 1960 A. H. G ERH ARDT GENTLE ACTION AGITATOR Filed March 8, 1956 fnvenfor: Q'ndrew/YGer/cardi United States Patent O GENTLE ACTION AGITATOR Andrew H. Gerhardt, Herrin, Ill., assignor to Borg-War:- ner Corporation, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Ilhnois Application March 8, 1956, Serial No. 570,335

1 Claim. (Cl. 68-4) This invention relates to washing machines and in particular to washing machine agitators of the type which create gentle or light agitation of fabrics during the washing cycle.

Agitators commonly in use in washing machines generally include a column or post member having a plurality of radially projecting blades or fins formed integral with or otherwise secured to the post. The agitator frequently is fi-ared at the bottom and thus overlays a major portion of the bottom wall of the clothes receiving receptacle within which the agitator is disposed.

Agitators of the above general description are usually rotated about the longitudinal axis of the column or post, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, so as to create a considerable agitation or swirling motion when the agitator is surrounded by wash water and clothing. It is well known that in laundering synthetic fabrics it is advisable to avoid excessive agitation or excessive working. Conventional agitating devices of the above class frequently work the wash load excessively and to the extent that synthetic fabrics shrink, felt or mat rendering them useless as articles of clothing.

Accordingly, it is a particular object of the present invention to provide a gentle action agitator suitable for laundering synthetic fabrics.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gentle action agitator which may be mounted upon and driven by a conventional blade type agitator.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gentle action agitator which substantially encloses the agitator blades.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gentle action agitator which may be readily inserted or removed from the clothes receiving receptacle of a laundry machine Without disturbing the existing agitator means.

A washing machine embodying certain principles of the present invention may include an oscillatable agitator having a plurality of radially extending blades and a generally bell-shaped casing overlaying the agitator and formed with grooves, said grooves connecting mating blades so that upon oscillation of the agitator the casing is also oscillated.

Other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent from the succeeding detailed description of specific embodiments thereof when read in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a washing machine with which the present invention may be associated and showing one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the gentle action agitator of Fig. 1 with portions of the agitator broken away to show the configuration of the interior grooves;

Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of the gentle action agitator; and

Fig. 4 shows a still further embodiment of the invention wherein the lower portion of the bell-shaped gentle 2 action agitator is slotted permitting portions of the conventional agitator blade to project through the slots.

In the Fig. 1 embodiment of the invention there is shown a washing machine casing A, having a control panel B, a hinged access door C, a clothes receiving receptacle D and a transmission housing E substantially enclosing and forming the bottom wall of the receptacle.

The clothes receiving receptacle is supported by the transmission housing E by a depending sleeve not shown. Since the present invention is directed to agitator devices for a washing machine, it is deemed unnecessary to describe the laundry machine in detail except where necessary to show the function, operation and. structural details of the gentle action agitator.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, there is'shown an agitator indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 supported upon a shaft 11 projecting upwardly from the transmission casing E. The agitator, formed with four radially projecting fins or blades 15, is keyed to the shaft 11 in a suitable manner. The shaft and the agitator are formed with complementary, tapered, hexagonal sections as at 12 and a nut 13 threadedly engaging the shaft is operable to draw the agitator and the shaft together axially so as to make a snug fit along therespective hexagonal sections.

In a well know manner the shaft 11 is caused to rotate alternately about its longitudinal axis; first in a clock-wise and then in a counterclock-wise direction so as to cause the agitator 10 to oscillate about its vertical axis.

As stated earlier, it is frequently desirable to reduce or minimize the work performed by the bladed agitator particularly when washing fine synthetic fabrics. Heretofore it has been the practice to operate the agitator at a reduced speed or to remove the agitator and replace it with one whose blade or fin structure is less pronounced. Obviously, the provision of means for changing the speed of agitation is relatively expensive and involves either a two speed power means for the laundry machine or the introduction of a gear change device in the transmission; both involve an increase in cost. The alternative scheme of replacing the bladed agitator with one which creates less violent turbulence is disadvantageous wherein frequently the housewife is unable to remove the conventional agitator.

Recognizing these difliculties the present invention contemplates the provision of a casing or gentle action agitator indicated generally by the reference numeral 14 being positioned upon the conventional agitator 10 and in a driving connection therewith. For example, in the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a generally bell-shaped casing 16 having four ribs or grooves 17 formed therein is shown positioned upon the agitator 10 so that the mouth 18 of the casing rests upon the conventional agitator as at 19.

It is to be noted that the grooves 1'7 make a driving connection with the blades 15 by virtue of the reception of the marginal regions 21 of the blades into the grooves. Obviously, the casing or gentle agitator 16, although making a driving connection with the conventional agitator, is relatively loosely engaged therewith and may be removed or inserted at the whim of the housewife with a minimum expenditure of effort.

It is apparent that the gentle action agitator substantially encloses the bladed agitator and is formed with a substantially smooth bell-shaped outer periphery. The grooves or ribs 1'7 project slightly beyond the general periphery of the gentle action agitator as shown in Fig. 2. A groove projection of at least three-quarters of an inch provides suflficient depth to develop the necessary driving connection between the gentle action agitator and the bladed agitator and has been found efiective in creating a gentle agitation.

It is apparent that oscillation of the gentle action agitator is efiective to provide substantially reduced turbulence thus reducing the amount of work performed upon fine synthetic fabrics during a washing cycle.

.In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 3 the coaction between the bladed agitator and the ribs 17a is substantially the same as the structure shown in Fig. 1; however, the casing 16a does not fully enclose the conventional agitator. The driving connection is made by the engagement of the ribs 17a with the marginal regions 21 of the lower portion of the blades 15.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 4 it is apparent that the lower portion of the bell-shaped gentle action agitator is slotted as at 25 to permit the marginal portions 21 of the conventional agitator to project therethrough. Obviously, the lower portion of the gentle action agitator according to the embodiment of Fig. 4 may be molded according to a variety of patterns to permit the marginal portions 21 to project to varying degrees as desired.

It is to be understood that a particular feature of the present invention resides in the cooperation between the conventional agitator and the gentle action agitations to produce a new and useful washing device.

It is anticipated that various arrangements and representations of the present invention may be undertaken without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a clothes washing machine, a receptacle adapted to contain wash water and clothes, an oscillatable agitator in said receptacle and having a plurality of radially extending blades for creating a considerable agitation of the clothes and the water, means for substantially reducing the action of the gitator comprising an irnperforate casing detachably mounted on said agitator, said casing being substantially smooth over its entire periphery and means defining a plurality of slots therein for receiving the marginal portions of the radially extending blades whereby a minor portion of the radially extending blades project through said slots and a major portion of the blades are substantially enclosed, and a driving connection is made between the agitator and the casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent v UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,745,177 Markley Ian. 28, 1930 2,119,677 Labisky June 7, 1938 2,298,624 Labisky Oct. 13, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 531,147 Great Britain Dec. 30, 1940 

